Evolution of the Dynamic Integrated Climate-Economy (DICE) model : decomposition of changes over time

Global warming is one of the major environmental challenges of the modern era. Global temperature in 2005 has increased about 0.7°C (1.3°F) compare to 1900, also CO₂ concentrations increased by 100 parts per million (ppm). Estimated expense to decrease the CO₂ concentrations by 1 ppm is about 1 trillion (Pielke, 2009). Overcoming global warming is difficult because it is interdisciplinary problem and involves many parts of society. Any proposed policies must balance the economic costs of operations today and future corresponding economic and environmental benefits. There are several studies and models which used economics and mathematical modeling to analyzed the efficiency of different approaches and policies to slowing global warming. Dynamic Integrated model of Climate and the Economy (DICE) model uses economics and mathematical modeling to analyzed the efficiency of different approaches and policies to slow global warming (William D. Nordhaus, 1994, 2008, 2017, 2017a; William D. Nordhaus & Boyer, 2000). The main distinguishing feature of the DICE model is connecting economy and climate change factors including the carbon cycle, radiative forcing equation, climate change equations, and climate damage relationship. DICE finds optimal emissions control rate by balancing abatement costs of reducing emissions, and economic growth due to avoiding future climate damages. DICE-2016 shows following results under optimal emissions reduction policy, emissions reduction rate for CO₂ is increasing to 36 percent by 2050 and 84 percent by 2100 relative to the baseline. Corresponding, CO₂ concentrations is decreased and increase in global temperature relative to 1900 is decreased to 6.17°F (3.43°C) for 2100 and 6.96°F (3.87°C) for 2200. The net present value abatement cost and climate damages of the optimal policy is 42.6 trillion beneficial relative to no control. This includes $20.4 trillion of abatement costs and$63 trillion of reduced climatic damages. There is still $81.8 trillion climate damage even after taking optimal policy. We compared the outputs of DICE-2016 and DICE-2007 to understand the economic effect of climate change and how climate changing is modeled in these two models. By comparing these models, we obtained estimated economical abatement costs to reduce emissions, social cost of carbon, and impact of climate change and global warming on the economy. We were trying to identify which changes have the most effect on the difference between these two models.Operations Research and Industrial Engineerin

Digital Art History: Moving Towards a Decolonizing Methodology

This thesis examines current approaches to digital art history, while arguing for the importance of integrating decolonizing methodologies into digital platforms. As a case-study, the thesis analyzes how the artwork of Nadia Myre (an Algonquin member of the Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg First Nation, b. 1974) appears on the websites of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Art Mûr gallery and AbTeC virtual gallery. In this thesis, I draw on the visual theorist Johanna Drucker’s distinction between “digitized art history” and “digital art history,” as well as concerns raised by the art historian Nuria Rodríguez-Ortega about the techno-determinism surrounding digital art history – to construct a critical approach to the process of art history going digital. I offer decolonizing methodology as a way forward that implicitly answers these scholars’ calls for methodological complexity in digital art history. Referring to Linda Tuhiwai Smith’s influential writings on decolonizing methodologies, I use the concepts of “remembering” and “reframing” as decolonizing sub-categories, or strategies, as a theoretical framework through which to examine a range of digital platforms. Even though these sub-categories are not the only possible approaches to take, they are a compelling place to start investigating how digital art history resonates with older art historical methodologies, and how digital practices can transform art history in a critical way

Omental Transposition in Treatment of Severe Ocular Surface Alkaline Burn: An Experimental Study

Since alkaline substances can rapidly penetrate into the cornea and subsequently damage limbal stem cells, another source of stem cells may be necessary to reconstruct the ocular surface. Omentum has some such characteristics like ability to regenerate tissue as well as anti-inflammatory capacity. Presence of adult stem cells and pluripotent embryonic cell markers make it suitable in wound healing; therefore, it seems reasonable to evaluate whether omentum can be helpful to restoration of ocular surface in severe alkaline burn. In this experimental trial, two groups of dogs (5 in each) were assigned. Following ethics approval, ocular surface alkaline burn was induced in both groups by placing filter papers soaked with NaOH (0.5 mol/l) on the cornea of one eye. Subsequently, group 1 (n=5) was treated only by conventional therapy; group 2 (n=5) was treated with omental elongation and transposition to the injured eye immediately following injury. Both groups were followed for six months. Ocular surface was evaluated by slit lamp microscope and corneal clarity was assessed and graded. At the end of six months, corneal opacity and vascularization were significantly reduced in group 2 (p-values of 0.009, 0.049, and 0.032 for corneal opacity, fluorescein staining, and vascularization grades, respectively). We have concluded that transposition of omental pedicle may be an effective treatment for severe ocular surface alkaline burn although more studies might be required

Omental Transposition in Treatment of Severe Ocular Surface Alkaline Burn: An Experimental Study

Since alkaline substances can rapidly penetrate into the cornea and subsequently damage limbal stem cells, another source of stem cells may be necessary to reconstruct the ocular surface. Omentum has some such characteristics like ability to regenerate tissue as well as anti-inflammatory capacity. Presence of adult stem cells and pluripotent embryonic cell markers make it suitable in wound healing; therefore, it seems reasonable to evaluate whether omentum can be helpful to restoration of ocular surface in severe alkaline burn. In this experimental trial, two groups of dogs (5 in each) were assigned. Following ethics approval, ocular surface alkaline burn was induced in both groups by placing filter papers soaked with NaOH (0.5 mol/l) on the cornea of one eye. Subsequently, group 1 (n=5) was treated only by conventional therapy; group 2 (n=5) was treated with omental elongation and transposition to the injured eye immediately following injury. Both groups were followed for six months. Ocular surface was evaluated by slit lamp microscope and corneal clarity was assessed and graded. At the end of six months, corneal opacity and vascularization were significantly reduced in group 2 (p-values of 0.009, 0.049, and 0.032 for corneal opacity, fluorescein staining, and vascularization grades, respectively). We have concluded that transposition of omental pedicle may be an effective treatment for severe ocular surface alkaline burn although more studies might be required

Association of depression with sexual function in women with history of recurrent pregnancy Loss:descriptive-correlational study in Tehran, Iran

Purpose: The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between depression and sexual function in women with recurrent pregnancy loss. Methods: In a cross-sectional correlational study, 130 consecutive patients with history of recurrent pregnancy loss were included who referred to Avicenna Fertility Center in Tehran, Iran during November 2018-February 2019. The outcomes were sexual dysfunction (Assessed with the Female Sexual Function Index) and depression (Evaluated with the Beck's Depression Inventory). The study data were analyzed by using Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests. Results: The study findings revealed that 40.8% of the participants suffered from some degrees of depression. The data analysis revealed that depression had a significant inverse correlation with sexual function and its domains (r = - 0.392, p < 0.001, R2= 0.15). The spouse' education level and economic status demonstrated a significant relationship with women's sexual function (p = 0.01, p = 0.033). A significant relationship was also detected between women's depression and economic status (p = 0.028). Conclusions: The study findings showed that women with RPL who had severe depression indicated lower score of sexual function. Since psychological and sexual problems are not reported to health care providers due to giving priority to fertility issues or considering such issues as taboos, the assessment of sexual and mental health needs to be part of the consultation in women with history of RPL, whether the patient seeks help for depression and sexual dysfunction or not

Comparison of the effects of Duphaston and Cetrotide on oocyte and embryo quality in women undergoing ICSI: A cross-sectional study

Background: Premature luteinizing hormone (LH) surge is one of the causes for assisted reproductive technology cycle cancellation, and it is needed to find novel approaches with improved efficacy and safety profile. Objective: To compare the effects of Duphaston and Cetrotide on the prevention of premature LH surge and characteristics of retrieved follicles and embryos in women undergoing intracytoplasmic sperm injection. Materials and Methods: In this retrospective cross-sectional study, 200 patients who were administrated recombinant follicle-stimulating hormone from the third day of menstruation cycle were included. When the follicular diameter reached above 13-14 mm, Cetrotide was prescribed in the control group, while in the case group, Duphaston was taken orally from the third day of cycle. The retrieved oocytes were fertilized in vitro by intracytoplasmic sperm. The level of hormones on the third day of menstruation and the characteristic of follicles, oocytes, and embryos were compared between the two groups. Results: Duphaston successfully inhibits premature LH surge. There was no significant difference in the level of follicle-stimulating hormone, estradiol, and LH between the case and control groups (p > 0.05). However, results also showed that Duphaston causes more oocyte retrieval in comparison with Cetrotide (p = 0.04). Although, the number of follicles above 14 mm, mature oocyte, and the total number of viable embryos in the case group was slightly higher, it did not reach a significant difference compared with the control group (p > 0.05). Conclusion: Duphaston could be used as an appropriate medication instead of gonadotropin-releasing hormone antagonists in women undergoing controlled ovarian hyperstimulation. Duphaston prescription not only prevents premature LH surge but also improves the number of retrieved oocytes. Key words: Duphaston, Cetrorelix, Dydrogesterone, COH, GnRh antagonis

Inverse problem of photoelastic fringe mapping using neural networks

This paper presents an enhanced technique for inverse analysis of photoelastic fringes using neural networks to determine the applied load. The technique may be useful in whole-field analysis of photoelastic images obtained due to external loading, which may find application in a variety of specialized areas including robotics and biomedical engineering. The presented technique is easy to implement, does not require much computation and can cope well within slight experimental variations. The technique requires image acquisition, filtering and data extraction, which is then fed to the neural network to provide load as output. This technique can be efficiently implemented for determining the applied load in applications where repeated loading is one of the main considerations. The results presented in this paper demonstrate the novelty of this technique to solve the inverse problem from direct image data. It has been shown that the presented technique offers better result for the inverse photoelastic problems than previously published works

Development and Evaluation of a Semi-automatic Cucumber Seed Extractor

IntroductionAccording to FAO, gherkin and cucumber have been cultivated in about 2.23 million hectares of farmlands around the globe, and about 78000 hectares of Iran agricultural fields have been devoted to gherkin and cucumber cultivation. However, large amounts of the cucumber seeds required in Iran have been imported from abroad. Fortunately, some Iranian agricultural companies have been focused on seed production recently. Therefore, there is an opportunity to develop seed production equipment such as seed extracting machines.There are two types of cucumber seed extractors: bulk seed extractor and single fruit extractor. The bulk seed extractor is suitable for extraction of large amounts of seed on the farm, while the single fruit extractor is suitable where seed production is limited to greenhouse seed-producing facilities which are mostly used for controlled pollination of the crop.Due to the high price of imported seed extractors, especially after increasing the price of foreign currencies, production of these machines within the country is economically rational; therefore, the aim of this research is to develop and evaluate a single fruit cucumber seed extractor for small and medium-size seed-producing greenhouses.Materials and MethodsThe cucumber seed extractor was designed semi-automatically. The criteria for designing the machine were as follows: 1- usage of the single fruit seed extraction method, 2- the possibility of simultaneous usage of two operators, 3- automatic discharge of the extracted seeds, 4- the possibility of the height variation of the machine, 5- the possibility of the emergency shutdown of the machine, 6- the possibility of the angular velocity variation of the machine helix.The working element of the machine was the rotating helix that can extract the fruit seeds and leave the fruit's outer skin mostly intact for easy disposal of fruit remains from the greenhouse. A 1 hp, 3 phase electric motor was used to drive the machine via the belt and pulley transmission system. For the smooth start and stop of the machine, and the possibility of angular velocity variation of the machine helixes, an electronic driver was used for the motor.To design the machine helix, the dimensions of the examined cucumber were measured first (i.e., cucumber length and diameter); then, according to the physical and mechanical properties of the fruit, the prime mover and transmission system of the machine was designed. Finally, the fabricated machine was evaluated using some mechanization criteria.Results and DiscussionSome of the results are as follows:The total torque required to drive the machine was 3.394Nm.The electric motor power should be higher than 0.284hp; furthermore, in order to have a wider angular velocity span for the rotating shaft, a 1hp electric motor was installed on the machine.The diameter of the rotating shaft was calculated to be 15mm.The seed extracting machine could be used instead of 15 workers of the manual seed extraction method.The rate of seed extraction using the machine was 30781 kg ha-1.The efficiency of seed extraction using the machine was similar to that of the manual method.The emergence percentage of seeds obtained by the machine was similar to that of the manual method.The amount of crop calculated from the concept of economical break-even point was 7 tons.ConclusionIn this study, an apparatus for mechanized extraction of cucumber seed was designed, fabricated and evaluated. The working element of the machine is the extractor helix that is rotated via the belt and pulley transmission system, which is activated using a 1 hp, 3 phase electric motor. For smooth start and stop of the motor, as well as the possibility of angular velocity variation of the machine helix, the motor was equipped with an electronic driver. Utilizing an emergency shutdown switch, the machine can be protected from unforeseen emergency situations. After using the machine for 6 months, it was recognized that strengthening the extractor helixes was necessary. According to the results of this study, using the machine led to 15 person reduction in the labor needs of the manual cucumber seed extraction method. Moreover, the amount of crop calculated from the economical break-even point was 7.7 tons

Rapid aqueous photo-polymerization route to polymer and polymer-composite hydrogel 3D inverted colloidal crystal scaffolds

Successful regeneration of biological tissues in vitro requires the utilization of three-dimensional (3D) scaffolds that provide a near natural microenvironment for progenitor cells to grow, interact, replicate, and differentiate to form target tissues. In this work, a rapid aqueous photo-polymerization route was developed toward the fabrication of a variety of polymer hydrogel 3D inverted colloidal crystal (ICC) scaffolds having different physical and chemical properties. To demonstrate the versatility of this technique, a variety of polymer hydrogel ICC scaffolds were prepared, including (1) polyacrylamide (pAAM) scaffolds, (2) poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (pHEMA) scaffolds, (3) poly(2-hydroxyethyl acrylate) (pHEA) scaffolds, and composite scaffolds including (4) pAAM-pHEMA scaffolds, (5) pHEMA-pMAETAC [poly(2-methacryloyloxy) trimethyl ammonium] scaffolds, and (6) pHEA-pMEATAC scaffolds. Templates for scaffolds incorporated both uniform sized (104 Μm diameter) and nonuniform sized (100 ± 20 Μm diameter) closely packed noncrosslinked poly(methyl methacrylate) beads. Human bone marrow stromal HS-5 cells were cultured on the six different types of scaffolds to demonstrate biocompatibility. Experimental results show that cells can remain viable in these scaffolds for at least 5 weeks. Of the six scaffolds, maximal cell adhesion and proliferation are obtained on the positively charged composite hydrogel pHEMA-pMEATAC and pHEA-pMAETAC scaffolds. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res, 2007Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/56168/1/31199_ftp.pd

Effect of different physio-chemical factors on sex expression and fruit yield in green-house cucumber

Male flower expression is considered an important aim in greenhouse cucumber breeding for creating paternal lines as a base for hybrid progeny. The study was carried out to evaluate the effects of different treatments on sex expression and fruit yield of cucumber in two different season (autumn-winter and spring-summer), in particular this research focuses on the influence of 1) usage of two chemical agents: silver thiosulphate [Ag(S2O3)2-3] and silver nitrate (AgNO3) at different concentration, respectively 200 and 500 ppm and 100, 200 and 300 ppm 2) plant development stages at the moment of the treatment (5, 10, and 15-leaf growth stages) and 3) application of single or double sprayings. Analysis of variance showed that season, chemical applications and number of spaying had significant effect on the induction of a higher number of male flowers. A positive significant effect of season suggested that longer days and higher temperature promote the formation of male flowers in cucumber. This study showed that male flower production was induced by all concentrations of silver ions, especially high concentrations. Important traits related to change of sex expression such as the number of days to male flowering and the number of male flowers are more affected by different interactions of studied factors in contrast to vegetative and yield related traits. Also, the quadruple interaction effects indicated that silver ion could change sex expression at  higher temperatures and longer days (second season in summer) with high concentration when applied in 15 leaf stage for AgNO3 and 5 and 15 leaf growth stage for Ag(S2O3)2-3 with double spraying. Consequently, female lines can be induced to male flowering with silver ions, thus increasing the feasibility of large scale seed production of gynoecious × gynoecious cucumber hybrid